-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For years , Kurt Sutter has told stories of criminal activity -- first as a writer for `` The Shield '' and then as the creator of FX 's wildly popular `` Sons of Anarchy , '' a dramatized version of an outlaw biker gang in California .

Now he 's branching out and focusing his lens on real-life criminal organizations .

The Discovery Channel recently premiered `` Kurt Sutter 's Outlaw Empires , '' a six-part series that looks at the micro and macro reasons behind groups that have defined their existence outside the law . Episode one tackles famed Los Angeles gang the Crips , with subsequent shows exploring outlaw bikers , the Irish mob , the Italian mafia , the Nuestra Familia and the Aryan Brotherhood .

`` On ` Sons , ' we exposed a lot of people to a new world , '' Sutter told CNN from Los Angeles . `` It humanized what was a stereotype for a lot of people . Yes , our show is highly dramatic , and we take a lot of dramatic licenses . But the reality of it , and details of it are very true , very specific . For me , that 's what I wanted to do with this series . ''

The show sprang from a different concept Sutter was pitching that looked at criminal activity from two points of view , the criminals and law enforcement . For the final act , the two sides would be brought together in the same room .

`` The pitch was to have a high-level crime and get the point of view of the criminal party involved and law enforcement and hear their retelling of the same events , '' he said . `` People were intrigued by the concept , but ultimately it felt a little too old school . Discovery was interested in a variation , and they 've wanted to do a high-end documentary series . ''

`` Outlaw Empires '' explores case studies of a few people involved in the criminal organization , using their stories and knowledge to make larger connections to the context of the outlaw group .

Sutter pops up from time to time in cutaways to offer insights into the story he 's trying to tell . He 's not interested in getting law enforcement officials , psychologists or other talking heads to weigh in on why these people are `` bad . '' Success , for Sutter , is telling a story that does n't pass judgment .

The approach that Sutter and his team took was n't the typical `` let 's pick a subject and tell their story '' usually associated with documentary storytelling . For him , they started small and worked outward .

`` We tapped into people that had relationships ; some of these guys have been cleaning up their acts -- there 's networks to get to these people , '' Sutter said . `` We talked to people to see who had the most interesting story . It came out of character : who had the most interesting people with the most interesting stories .

`` It was n't so much like ` Let 's go do the Crips . Let 's go do the Aryan Brotherhood . ' It was about let 's cast a wide net and be led into the worlds by the characters . ''

Sutter is putting the finishing touches on the final episodes of `` Outlaw Empires '' while also in preproduction for the fifth season of `` Sons . '' And like the way he portrays his fictional characters , he aims to give viewers a new look at a group of people who have been largely portrayed in a certain way .

`` It 's a challenging thing to do when you 're dealing with guys covered in swastikas , '' Sutter said . `` You try to go in and give it some context , so people have some point of view to why people did what they did . It does n't mean you 're going to get behind it . ''

He added , `` The challenge is similar to writing ` Sons . ' When you write an anti-hero , it 's that balance between ` anti ' and ` hero . ' You ca n't make them too righteous and good so they do n't feel dangerous or believable . But you ca n't write them so deplorable that the audience ca n't get behind them . It 's similar with this series . ''

`` Kurt Sutter 's Outlaw Empires '' airs at 10 p.m. ET Mondays on Discovery .

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`` Kurt Sutter 's Outlaw Empires '' is a six-part series airing on the Discovery Channel

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Documentary series looks at people who have defined their existence outside the law

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Sutter is also the creator of `` Sons of Anarchy , '' the FX show about a biker gang